Games



Sept Z9, 1959 J. J. HlcKEY 2,906,535

GAMES Filed Sept. 20, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 29, 1959 Filed Sept. 20. 1955 .1. J. HlcKEY Y GAMES 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

John HEC/ 55 BY Lkw/Ls Arron-N655 Sept. 29, 1959 .1.J. HlcKEY 2,906,535

GAMES Filed sept. 2o. 1955 s sheets-sheet 3 INVENTOR. JohnJ. Huxley Avromviss United States PatentOtiice 2,906,535 Patented Sept. 29, 1,959

GAMES John J. Hickey, Belleville, NJ.

Application September 20, 1955, Serial No. 535,389

6 Claims. (Cl. 273-148) This invention relates to a device for playing with balls games normally utilizing playing cards.

In my Patent No. 2,704,669, granted March 22, 1955, there is disclosed and claimed a device of this general type in which a corrugated weighted roller is employed for the purpose of preventing the jamming of the playing balls during mixing.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved means for mixing and positioning the playing balls and distributing them to separate channels, thereby eliminating the tendency of jamming and/or distributing an incorrect number of balls.

Another object is to enlarge the playing capacity of the device through the provision of means indicating the progressive shifting of the dealing chore.

Thus, in accordance with this invention, the device of the aforesaid patent is provided with improved means for agitating the balls without jamming, and for positioning and distributing the exact number of playing balls to the ball receiving channels. Such means includes a helically ridged roller which is driven vby the movement of the large hollow drum containing the balls and is elfective to distribute the correct number of balls in a row for dealing to each player and to avoid jamming. Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a dealer marker slidable on the front wall of the display box and provided with a multi-colored block.

For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a plan View of a playing device constructed in accordance with the invention in the updeal position of the display-return box and the zenith position of the allocating dealing mechanism;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end view partly in sections ,of the device shown in Figure l but with the allocatingof the device shown in Figure 1 but withk the allocatingdealing mechanism in the dump position;

Figure 7 illustrates a dealer marker of the present invention;

. Figure -8 is a side YView of the roller showing the sprocket in accordance with the present invention. 4- Referring to the drawings inrdetail, the playing device 48 fastened to the wall 38.

shown therein comprises an open frame generally designated 10, a rotatable drum generally designated 12, an allocating-dealing device generally designated 14, a swingable display-return box 16, and playing balls 18 shown with card indicia thereon.

The frame 10 is constituted of front and rear standards 20 and 22, respectively, joined at their tops by a top member 24; and a similar set of front and rear standards 26 and 28 on the opposite side, joined at their tops by a top member 30. The two sides of the frame are maintained in spaced parallel Vertical arrangement by cross-members 32 and'34, joining the front standards 20 and 26 and the rear standards 22 and 28, respectively.

'I'he drum 12 comprises a rim 36 and circular end walls 38 and 40. The rim is provided with an opening extending the full width between the walls 38 and 40 from a point on the n'm designated 42, corresponding to about a 270 degree position from the top center of thev drum in the zenith position (as shown in Figure 2) to a point on the rim designated 44, corresponding to about al 30 degree position from the top center. The drum 12 is mounted so that the end Walls 38 and 40 lie in vertical planes between the rear standards 22 and 28. The drum 12 is rotatable about an axle 46 rigidly fixed in suitable bearings on the upper portion of the rear standards 22 and 28, as indicated in Figure l. Thus, the drum 12 may be rotated about the axle 46 by a cylindrical handle In the zenith position the drum 12 is balanced so that the handle 48 normally rests against a stop 50 fastened to the top member 24. Another stop 52 on the vertical portion of the rear standard 22 permits the handle 48 and the drum 12 to be rotated through an arc of approximately 270 degrees.

The allocating-dealing mechanism 14 is removably inserted in the opening between points 42 and 44, and is held in position adjacent point 44 by suitable means attached to the drum 12. The allocating-dealing mechanism 14 includes an inner channel member or platform 54, a weighted and balanced swingable channel member 56, a cover member 58 and a rotatable agitating and positioning roller 60, constituting the subject of the present invention.

In the zenith position of the drum 12, the inner channel member 54 extends downwardly toward the front of the device from the point 44. The swingable channel member 56 is constructed so as to be aligned with the inner channel member in this position and extends downwardly toward the front of the `device to the edge of the walls 38 and 40 at a point somewhat removed from point 42. The cover member 58 comprises a roof `portion 62 held in a lixed position by the walls 38 and 40 at the same angle of inclination as the inner channel member 54 and spaced therefrom sufficiently to define a passage large enough to permit the free rolling of the playing balls 18 down the-inner channel member 54 and swingable channel member 56.

The swingable channel member 56 comprises a flat platform divided in this instance into five ball allocating channels 64 one for each player up to live. The channels 64 are defined by separators 66 and are wide enough t0 permit free passage of the playing balls 18. The swingable channel member 56 is pivoted on a shaft 72 rotatably mounted on the end walls 38 and 40 of the drum 12 (see Figures 3 and 4). A Weighted member 74 is affixed to the swingable channel member 56 and is balanced to keep the swingable channel member 56 from swinging about the shaft 72 and deviating from an inclined position when the d rum 12 is in the zenith position'. However, when the drum 12 is rotated to the nadir or upside down position, the weight of member 74 is such that it permits the swingable channel member to fall downwardly and rest against the Acover member 58.

In the nadir position means are provided to prevent the escape of the playing balls through the unobstructed portion of the opening between points 42 and 44. These means include a fixed segment or chord 76 fastened to the `cud walls 3.8 and 40 and positioned .about the .Weighted member .74 (nadirposition Figure Y3). However, this is not sutlcient to vretain the playing balls 18 'in the event the weighted member 74 swings backwardly .during .the rotation .of the drum `12 between the zem'th .and -the nadir position. Therefore, a weighted Vbar ,stop 78 is provided to prevent-.the weighted member 74.from swinging backwardly sufficiently to .permit the playing -balls I18 .to fall out of -the drum. A collar l80 surrounding part of the bar stop 78 permits the partial mov-,ement of the .bar stop under ,the inuence of gravity. Thus, in the zenith .postion (-Figure .2) .the bar stop 7 8 moves away :from .the weighted ,member .'74 and permits free movement of the latter, but in .the -nadir position .(Figure 3,) lthe .bar stop has moved .completely in :the opposite direction and prevents ymovement of the weighted member Aheyond the end of the bar stop.

The swingable-display return box 16 -is constituted of spaced side `members 82 and 84, Vconnected by a front member V8.6 and an upper deck 88 extending at right angles thereto. The upper deck 88 is for up-deal -or display hands of the players, and is divided by spaced separations V90 into live spaced parallel channels which are ,designated 1 to 5 in 'Figure 1. A partial base member 92 parallel to and spaced from the upper .deck 88 delines the bottom of a lower compartment 94 which is separated into tive similar channels -by separators 94a similar to Vthe separators 90. Balls 18 entering the lower compartment 94 would roll out the outer end of the box except for exible spring wires V9-lb which retain them. The lower compartment is for down-deal or hidden card ideal and each player may remove a playing ball from his allotted channel by pulling it against the aforementioned spring wrres.

The display-return box 16 is hingedly or Yswirigablyrsecured between the front standards 20 and 2,6 by :the U-shaped wire member 96 which may pass under the box 16 for fastening at the bottom to the Aouter edge of the partial base member 92. The upwardly directed .end extremities of the U-shaped wire member 96 are .turned outwardly over the top edges of the front standards 20 and 26 and are hingedly held in place thereon.

At the front end of the display return box 16 is a handle member `98, .one end of which is secured by suitable fasteners to the front member 86. The l'opposite or free end of the handle member 98 protrudes beyond the side of the box vand is placed under 'tension Itoward the front member 86 by the spring .quality thereof. At the top of the front standard 20 isa quadrant 99 having spaced notches or guides 100 and 102, -so arranged that when the handle member 98 is moved finto the guide 100 or down-deal position, the inner end of the lower compartment floor will be aligned with the louter end `of the swingable channel member 56 in the zenith position to receive the balls rolling by gravity down the channels 64 and out the drum. When the handle member 98 is moved into the guide 102, or display position, the inner end of .the upper deck 88 will be aligned with the swingable .channel member 56 in the zenith position to receive Vthe vplaying balls 18. When the handle member `is on top of the quadrant 99, the inner end of both the upper deck :88 and the lower compartment will be aligned with the .unobstructed portion of the opening in the rim of the .drum in the zenith position. A platform 104 connected to the frame 10 aids in dumping the balls back -onto the drum (see Figure 6).

AWhen numerous lplayers participate in a stud poker game they may select lone of their group as the machine :operator to continuously perform the dealings and use -the marker to disclose the customary progressive shifting of the machine from player `to player.

One of the customary ground rules will select the rst stud poker dealer. To avoid confusion arising 'from the succeeding progressive shifting of the dealing chore from player to player when numerous players participate, the Figure 7 member has been provided to enable the machine operator to identify the successive dealers in a manner that will continuously inform all players. Players l, 2, 3, 4 and 5 may receive their face-up playing units, the equivalent of face-up cards, in the channels numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the display box 16. One part of the dealer marker is a llexible wire spring. The opposite part .is a Wooden `block 121 rotatably attached to the spring. When player No. 3 becomes the dealer the machine operator may vslide `the marker 120, held snugly astride the front wall 86 of the display box 16 by the spring, to a position over channel 3 thus visibly marking player 3 as the dealer. For the double use of these channels by a white -group of 5 players and a -blue group of 5 players one yof the four circumferentially at surfaces of the block 121 may be painted white and .another blue. Then `the sliding, supplemented by rotation of the white or blue surface of the block 121fto the zenith will enable the machine operator to visibly mark white player No. 3; blue player No. 4 or any player in .the white or -blue groups as -they successively become ithe dealer. The standard rule is that the opener sits next tothe dealer and therefore the Figure 7 member will visibly earmark the successive dealers and openers. This marker increases player capacity in stud poker games; accelerates the 'playing -process and avoids confusion when numerous vplayers participate.

In accordance with this invention, the surface .of the agitating and positioning roller 60 is provided with Vright and left hand spiral grooves 106, which define playing ball size ltracks originating at the center of the roller 60 and extending around the roller foward each side. vThe spiral grooves 106 are Aformed in this embodiment by spring wire projections 108 and 110, which .are rattached to the center .of the .roller by a pin 112 and wound 'in opposite spirals toward each side.

The lroller .60 extends ,horizontally across the drum closely paralleling the rim and is rotatably attached 4to the sides '38 and 40 Aof the drum. One end 114 .of the roller 60 is equipped with two perpendicularly crossed llat strips of metal whose ends are Aturned `upward and which are rigidly attached -thereto to form in conjunction with the end 114 of the roller 60 a'V-shaped four-pronged groove 130, as shown in Figure 8, for accommodation of the encircling chain 116 and its propelling movement. This groove, formed by roller end 114 and metal strips 117, is aligned with a V-shaped groove in the coacting round wheel 118 4so that the two coacting members, 117 and 118, may be encircled lby a cross-looped ball chain 116 operating in the grooves of lthe two `members 117 and 118, respectively. As already stated, the axle -46 is rigidly attached to the frame 10. The chain 116 is firmly attached vto the pulley 118 by ascrew 116a. In 4the 270 rotations of the drum 12, downward to stop 52 and return upward to stop 50, the drum is `revolved by use of the handle 48 while the axle 46 land Vthe pulley 118 attached thereto remain stationary. The driving chain 116 encircles both the revolving sprocket 117 and the stationary pulley 118 and is rigidly fastened at 116a in the groove at the circumference of pulley 118. Thus each 270 rotation of the drum produces rapid 360 revolutions of rotating sprocket ,117 in which this sprocket is rotatably shifted approximately 270 along and within the .encircling driving chain. And spiral roller 60, to which sprocket 117 is rigidly attached is likewise afforded the rapid 360 revolutions. The rotations of this roller forcibly agitate the balls resting on and in contact with it in up and down .and transverse `disturbances which close lgaps lbetween the balls,dissipate jamming and elmape other defects which cause departures from appropriate alignment of the balls positioned for rolling into the playing channels. When the chain groove diameter of wheel 118 is 5 inches and the chain groove diameter of the coacting sp-rocket 117 is one inch, each 270 rotation of the drum will effect a ball chain driven three and one-half 360 rapid revolutions of the agitating roller 60. The much weaker maximum power of weight 59 driven roller 32 in Patent No. 2,704,669 is 135 of slow roller rotation in each 270 of drum rotation.

It is apparent that the described drive, consisting of the fixed pulley 118 and the xed chain 116, and used to rotate the roller 60 may be replaced by any other suitable drives, such as leather or nylon round string belting, V-belt, gears and the like. The roller 60 may be square, triangular or of any other shape, and the spring ridges 110 may be replaced by wires or the like.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Playing balls 18 may be admitted to the drum by placing all of them on the upper deck in turn and placing the handle 98 into the dump position above the quadrant 99. The balls 18 may be fty-two in number with indicia corresponding to a standard playing card deck. They are shufed by rotating the drum by using the handle 48. As the drum approaches the nadir position (Figure 3), the weighted member 74 is so balanced as to permit the swingable channel member 56 to come to rest against the roof 62 and permit the balls to enter the allocating dealing device 14 and be tumbled and moved by the agitating and positioning roller 60 until exactly tive balls are positioned on the ledge of the inner channel member 54 in exact alignment with the channels 64. The rotation of the roller 60 during the return of the drum to the zenith position (Figure 4) causes the balls to be Acaught in a respective groove 106 so that they are urged toward each side until five balls are positioned each in line with a respective channel 64.

Upon completion of rotation of the drum, the handle 48 is pushed against the stop 50 to align the inner channel member 54 with the swingable channel member 56 and the upper or display deck 88 (Figure 2). In the event a. deal is to be a down deal or hidden deal the handle 98 is moved onto the notch 100. The playing balls 18 properly aligned by the improved agitating and positioning roller 60 roll by gravity into each of the player allocated channels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, the up-deal or down-deal location depending on the position of the handle 98.

Thus, it can be seen that in accordance with the invention, a Idevice for playing with balls games normally played with cards is provided with an improved means for agitating and positioning the playing balls Without jamming, misdealing or incorrectly dealing. The provision of driving means for rotating the roller 60 due to the rotation of the drum insures positive mixing and alloeating of the playing balls 18. The spiral grooves 106 on the roller surface permit easy movement of the balls into alignment with the playing channels. The spiral downward and transversely and thus eliminate gaps between the balls and departures from alignment which lead to jamming and the incorrect allocation and delivery of the playing balls called misdealings. Furthermore, the marker of the present invention makes it possible to enlarge the playing capacity of the machine and eliminates the shifting of the machine from player to player for dealing.

What is claimed is:

1. ln a device for playing with balls games normally played with playing cards, which comprises a substantially open frame, a display return box swingably disposed in said frame, and a rotatable hollow drum for the balls mounted on said frame and having an opening formed on the rim thereof; an allocating-dealing mechanism comprising at least one channel member swingably mounted in said drum, said channel member having at least one channel formed thereon for directing the balls out of the drum in the zenith position thereof, rotary ball positioning and agitating means mounted in said drum adjacent the inner end of said channel member, and means connecting said drum and said ball agitating and positioning means and being responsive to the rotation of said drum to rotate said ball positioning and agitating means, said display return box in one position coacting with the outer end of said channel member to receive balls therefrom and in a second position with the unobstructed portion of the rim opening to dump the balls therethrough into the drum when the said mechanism is in the zenith position said responsive means consisting of a fixed endless chain engaging said ball positioning and agitating means and rotating said ball positioning and agitating means by frictional sliding movement when said drum is rotated.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the ball positioning means consists of an elongated rotary element and means upon the outer surface of said element for shifting balls in the directions of the axis of rotation thereof.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2, wherein said elongated rotary element consists of a roller and the ballshifting means comprises helical grooves defining ballsized tracks.

4. A device in accordance with claim 3, wherein said grooves extend helically in opposite directions from the center of the roller to the opposite ends thereof.

5. A device in accordance with claim 3, wherein the ball-shifting means comprises ridges located on both sides of the grooves. v

6. A device in accordance with claim 5, wherein said ridges consist of wires firmly attached to the roller.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,704,669 Hickey Mar. 22, 1955 

